Machine for operating upon shoe parts



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R. S. MEGATHLIN ET AL.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHOE PARTS l2, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan.

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R. S. MEGATHLIN ET AL MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHOE PARTS 12 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.

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MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHOE PARTS Filed Jan. l2, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 EASS 9@ June l2, B923.

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MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHOE PARTS Filed Jan. l2, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 BAESJ! 9@ l2 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 R. S. MEGATHLIN ET AL MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SHOE PARTS Filed Jan.

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unirsi-a sri/ares RALPH S. MEGATHLEN. 0F WEST SS/IERVILLE AND ALBERT 5E. HUDSN. @F EEV ERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO UNITED SHGE MACHINERY CORPORA- TION. 0F PATERSON. NEW' JERSEY. la CORPORATKON @F NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SEDE PARTS.

application tiled January 12, 1920. Serial No. 350,773.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, RALPH S. MEGATH- LIN and ALBERT E. HUDSON, citizens of the United States, residing at West Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Beverly, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, respectively, have invented certain improvements in Machines for perating Upon Shoe Part-s, of which the following description, in connection lwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

rlhis invention relates to machines for handling and operating upon blanks such as shoe parts. rlhe invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for t-reating toplifts which are to be used for boot and shoe heels.

ln the preparation of such articles as leather toplifts for use in the manufactiire of boots and shoes. the blanks, after being died out from a sheet of leather, are .subjected to a number of treatments especially when they are to be used in makinghighgrade articles of footwear. To facilitate the making of the shoes and produce the best results these treatments are such as to furnish to the Shoemaker a desired number of toplifts which have been subjected tov pressure to render them as nearly as possible uniform as to density and thickness, each usually having one surface stamped to iiidicate the size and commonly having a uniformly even flesh side produced by skiving. In practice it is customary to supply the toplifts to a dealer or shoe manufacturer in definite quantities graded as to sizes.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an automatic machine capable of taking articles such as toplift blanks as they come from the cutting die, regardless of thickness, density, or other characteristics, and delivering them graded as to thickness size, all having equal density, and each bearing an indication of its size and having an even flesh surface and a poli-shed grain surface, the machine being, however,capable of omitting any of the treatments mentioned.

With this object in view, the illustrated machine comprises an intermittently movable carrier for a series of blanks, means for actuating the carrier to locate the blanks successively at different stations, and means for simultaneously compressing, measuring, ironing and stamping a plurality of blanks,'occupying different stations, means being also provided for skiving the blanks and delivering them in graded lots. Since some of these operations may be omitted, however, the invention is not limited to a machine including all of the mechanisms for performing said operations.

Owing to the variations in thickness of different portions of a hide, articles such as soles and heel lifts cut therefrom are not all of the same thickness and frequently individual articles are thicker in some portions of their areas than others. Moreover, the flesh side of the leather is rough and therefore it is customary to skive the fiesh side to even and smooth that surface. The expense of leather is such that it is highly desirable to remove a skiving of no greater thickness than is necessary to leave a smooth and even surface.

Accordingly another object of the present invention is to provide a novel mechanism which will remove skivings of predetermined minimum thickness from the flesh side of each of a succession of leather articles regardless of variations in the thickness of different articles. With this object in view, another important feature of the invention comprises a skiving knife, a carrier movable past the knife andfhaving a movable article-supporting member, and means for positioning said member in the carrier according to the thickness of the article. Preferably, and in accordance with another feature of our invention, the machine comprises an endless series of carriers which successively move past the knife, such series of carriers being, in the particular embodiment illustrated, parts of an intermittently rotatable turret.

lt is desirable that the thickness sizes of such articles as toplifts shall be indicated on the surfaces thereof. To provide satisfactory mechanism for doing this automatically is another object of the invention, and

to this end another important feature of the invention consists in a marker and means controlled by the positions of the article- -supporting members in the carriers for setting and holding the marker until the pro er indication of the thickness of each article is applied to that article.

Practically the machine as exemplified herein measures the thickness of each article deposited in a carrier, such measurement being determined by the position to which the article-support is shifted by the depositing operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for increasing the density of the blanks without impairing the quality of the leather by disintegration of its fibers. In this aspect -the invention comprises means for imparting a succession of cumulative pressures to each blank while the latter occupies diierent stations of the machine successively.

Other objects and novel characteristics of the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the various features of the invention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section looking from the feed or supply end vof the machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly broken out looking from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section;

Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig, 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, the same line of section being indicated in Fig. 6; l

Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3 on a larger scale;

' Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 3 on a larger scale; l

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail se-ctional views illustrating slightly diierent structures of one of the compressing plungers;

Fig. 10 represents a detail section on line 10-1() of Fig. 6;.

Figs. 1l, l2 and 13 are detail sectional views illustrating different steps of the operation of the sliding feed plate;

Fig. 14 represents a detail section on line 14-14 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view on line 15-15 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view, on a scale approximating full size, illustrating the inclined or beveled edges of the openings in the feed slide and one of the mold lates 127, the toplift to be acted upon eing omitted.

The detailed description will be more readily understooiq by a preliminary explanation that in the use of the machine exemplified in the accompan ing drawings, toplifts in the hopper 111'( ig. 2) gravitate singly into an opening in a slide 113 (Figs. 11,12 and 13) and by said slide are carried to position or station A (Figs. 2, 3 and 6) where a plunger 143 pushes each toplift into an opening in one of four mold plates 127 all four of which are carried by an intermittently rotated turret having duplicate toplift supporting mechanisms. After a toplift is pushed from the feed slide 113 into a mold plate 127 a furtherinward movement of the slide 113 shifts said mold plate toward the -center of the turret so that the toplift occupies position or station B (Figs. 2 3, 6 and 13). As the turret revolves step by step the toplifts carried by the four mold plates 127 successively occupy positions or stations C, D and E (Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7) in each of which positions certain operations hereinafter explained are performed on the toplifts. While in station E the toplift is discharged from the mold plate which latter is drawn out to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7 so-that when the turret again moves, that mold plate will remain slid partly out to receive another toplift from the hopper 111 (Fig. 2).

A suitable frame base 20 (Figs. 1, 2. 6 and 7) is formed or provided at its top with a circular track 21, said base having a central sleeve bearing 22. Mounted to rotate intermittently on the base 20 is a turret having a lower ring 23 and a top plate 24 connected by webs 25 Between the ring 23 and the circular track 21 of the base are antifriction bearings consisting of a series of radially arranged rolls 26 the trunnions of which are mounted in an inner cage ring 27 and an outer cage ring 28.

Depending from the top plate 24 is a central tube 29 the lower tubular end of which 30 is rotatively mounted in the sleeve bearing 22 of the base (Figs. 6 and 7). Keyed to the lower end of the hollow vertical shaft 30 is a vratchet ring 31 which, in practice, will have as many notches to be engaged by the pawl presently described, as the turret is to have steps of rotation. The present machine is so designed that the turret has four steps of rotation and therefore the rachet ring 31 has four notches. Rotatively mounted on the tubular bearing 22 between the lower end thereof and the ratchet ring 31 is a bevel pinion 32 in which is mounted a vertically movable, spring-pressed pawl 33. The pinion 32 is engaged'so as to be rotatively oscillated by a toothed se-gment 34 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the arm 35 of said segment being pivotally mounted on a stud 36 (Figs. 1 and 2). A short arm 37 of the arm 35 has a roll 38 which engages aries, reo v a path cam in the disk 39 carried by shaft 40 (Fig. 4). Said path cam actuates the segment 34 and pinion 32 back and forth and the pawl 33 successively engages the notches in ring 31 to give the turret a successionbf quarter turns. Shaft is provided with a gear 41 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) meshing with a pinion 42 carried by a stud shaft 43 hav ing a gear 44, the latter meshing with a pinion 45 on the driving shaft 46 having fast and loose pulleys 47.

Rising from the base 20 are three frame brackets 48 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) to the upper ends of which is rigidly secured a crown plate 49. Vertically movable relatively7 to the crown plate and frame is a hea 50 carrying a series of plungers, presently de scribed. Said head 50 is formed erprovided 'with vertically elongated lugs 51 each having a vertical aperture in whichis mounted a rod 52. each of the rods 52 being secured in one of the lugs 51 by suitable means such a's a binding screw illustrated in Fig. 2, the ends of the rods 52 proJecting above and below the lugs 51 into apertures in bearing lugs 53 of the brackets 48. In other words, the three rods 52 and .their bearings 53 provide for vertically guiding the head 50.

Depending from the head 50 are .three plungers 54, 55 and 56, relatively ositioned to act simultaneously on toplifts 1n stations B, C and D. These three plungers are sub stantially alike, with an exception hereinafter explained, but they are indicated in the drawings by different niinieralsbecause certain operations are eilected by said plungers in the orderv in which they are n umbered. Each plunger is vertically adJustable relatively to the head 50 as by means of a screw-threaded portion 57 (Fig. 2) engaging a clamping tubular bracket portion of the head 50. f

To reciprocate the head 50 and its plu.n gers vertically at the proper times while the intermittently rotatable turret is stationary, a rod 58 (Fig. 7) depending from the center of the head and passing through the central tube 29 of the top plate of the turret and through the hollow shaft 30, is connected at its lower end to ay lever 59 indica-ted by dotted lines in Fig. 2, said lever being pivotally mounted at 60 and having its other end connected by a link 61 to an arm 62 of an elbow lever, said lever being pivoted at 63 and having its other arm 64 provided with a roll 65 entering a path cam in the disk 66 (Fig. 4) carried by shaft 40.

The cam for actuating this mechanism, like the other cams carried by the shaft 40. is a quadruple operating cam, because, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, the head 50 and its plungers operate four times during each rotation of the shaft 40. each movement of the plunger head simultaneously effecting :tour diderent operations upon four toplifts which are at stations B, C, D and E, respectively. The intermittently rotatable turret hereinbetore referred to is provided with four chambers or pockets 67, two of which are shown in Fi 6 in sectional detail and the other two in dg. 7 in similar sectional detail, these two views being sections at right angles to one an other. lin the bottom of each chamber or pocket is an externally threaded bushing 68 which is internally smooth to form a bearing for the tubular stem 69 (Fig. 6) of a piston-like support or table 70. A. spring 71 bearing on the upper end of the bushing 68 normally holds the support or table 70 at an elevation in the chamber 67 determined by a double-Harige collar 72 having a screw-tlireaded connection with the lower end of the tubular stem 69. Therefore,'by adjusting the bushing 68 vertically in the bottom of the chamber 67, the compression of the spring 71 may be varied to aord niore or less resistance to the downward pressure of toplifts which is etected as hereina fter described. rlhe undei surface of the upper flange of the collar 72 bears on a strip 7 3 (Figs. 5 and 6) which bridges the space between `the arms of a forked lever 74 one end of which is pivotally supported at 75 by lugs depending from the pocket or chamber. At an intermediate point the lever 74 is provided with a roll 76 which extends under a stationary ring 77 supported by a flanged portion of the sleeve bearing 22 which rises above the plane of the lower turret ring 23, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. The purpose of the ring 77 will be explained hereinafter.

The inner end of each fork lever 74 has a pawl 78 pivotally connected to it and actuated by aspring 79 (Fig. 7) into engagement with a vertical-ratchet strip 8O attache-d to the central tube 29 of the turret. At one point or station at each step of rotation of the turret, the pawl 78 is released or unlocked from its ratchet 80. For convenience of description this point or station is indicated at C and is the position shown at the left in Fig. 7. The other stations temporarily occupied by each of the chambers or pockets of the lturret are indicated respectively at B, D and E in Figs. 6 and 7, and the operation eected upon a toplift at each of said stations will be described hereinafter.

In order to release or unlock the pawl 78 from the ratchet 80 when a pocket and a lever 74 have passed from station B to station C, we provide an angle lever 81 (Fig. 7) pivotally supported at 82 in proper location by the frame base to act upon the pawl 78 when station C is reached. At this point the lower end of the pawl 78 has arrived opposite the upper end of the angle said slot.

lever 81, the tip 83 of the lower arm being engagedforv actuation b means presently described. Before descri ing `the means for tripping the pawl 78 through the medium of the angle lever 81, it is advisable to eX- plain that said pawl 78 is again unlocked from t-he ratchet 80 when station` D is reached (Fig. 6). To this end, an angle lever 84, similar to the angle lever 81 is pivotally supported at 85 and its lower arm has a tip 86.

In order that the pawls 78 of tlie levers 74 may be simultaneously released at the proper times when in stations C and D, the vertically movable plunger operating rod 58 is provided with a fixed collar 87 (Figs. 6 and 7) having lugs provided with pivots 88 for lingers 89. Springs 90 tend to press the lower ends of lingers 89 outwardly so that, each time when the center rod 58 moves downwardly, the lower ends of the fingers will pass through openings 91 in the central tube 29 of the turret and act on the tips 83, 8.6, of the levers 81, 84,v to cause the other ends of said levers to release the two pawls 78 then instations C, D. Mounted in each tubular stem 69 (Figs. 5 and 6) is a shaft 92 having a clutch member 93 at its lower end and at its upper end having an eccentric stud 94 loosely entering a central socket in a disk or circular block 95 which will be hereinafter referred to as the iron because its function is to iron the under surface of a toplift pressed thereagainst by one of the plungers as hereinafter described. Depending from the turret top plate 24, between each pocket 67 and the central tube 29, is a sleeve 96 preferably having a screwthreaded connection between its upper end and the plate 24 to enable said sleeve to be set in vertical adjusted position. Mounted in this sleeve is a slide 97 (Fig. 6) having a lower reduced end or shank 98 mounted in an opening in the bottom of the sleeve bearing 96 and having pivotally connected t0 its lower end a vertically slotted link 99 (Fig. 7) a pin 100 of the lever 74 entering Secured to the shank 98 'is a block having a tooth 101 to coact with a ratchet detent 102 pivoted at its upper end 103 to a collar 104 secured to the sleeve 96. A suitably connected spring 105 exerts a normal tendency to hold the lower end of the detent 102 in contact with a ring-shaped member at the top of the base frame, said ring-'shaped member having a cam rise 106 (Figs. 5 and 6) located in the proper position to swing the detent 102 outwardly to disengage its ratchet teeth from the tooth 101 when station B is reached. As soon as the slide 97 is free from the detent 102,A ii'. is forced upwardly by a spring 107 around the stein 98 within the sleeve 96.

Mounted in a recess in slide 97 is a pivoted ratchet 108, a spring 109 being located to hold said ratchet 108 normally in the position shown at the left in Fig. 6 and out of contact with a fixed locking tooth 110, the object or purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

To supply toplifts for operation between the plungers and the members carried by the turret we employ any suitable hopper 111 indicated in Fig. 2, supported by bracket 112 rising from the base 20. The bottom of the hopper consists of a slide 113 having an opening 114 (Figs. 3 and 11) into which the lower toplift in the hopper will drop when said opening is in alinement with the bottom of the hopper. Preferably the opening 114 is of a size and shape approximating that of the toplifts in the hopper and the edges of said openings are preferably slightly tapering downwardly so that a toplift, when it first drops into the opening, will be engaged therein sufficiently to be carried readily by the slide, the lower portion of the opening being slightly smaller than the toplift so that, when the toplift is pushed down through the opening 114 into another sliding member 127 below it, to be presently described, the toplift will be slightly contracted by the walls of the opening 114 and guided thereby into the opening of said other slide 127.

To actuate the slide 113 so that it will act to feed a toplift to station A in Figs. 2 and 3, a pair of links 115 suitably connect said slide with the bifurcated upper end of a lever 116 pivoted at 117 to a bracket 118 of the frame base. The short arm of said lever is connected by a link 119 (Figs. 2 and 4) to an arm 120 of a hub 121 mounted on a pivot shaft 122. Arm 123 of said hub has a roll engaged by a path cam in a disk 124 secured to the shaft 40. The upper surface of the bracket 112 has a longitudinal groove 125 (Fig. 3) into which a block 126 extends from the under side of the feed slide 113 (see also Fig. 2). The object of the block 126 is to engage the outer end of each mold plate 127 when one of said plates is in the position shown iii Fig. 3. There are four of the mold plates 127 each being mounted to'slide laterally on the turret, guided in ways 128 secured to the top plate 24 of the turret. Each mold plate has a toplift-shaped opening 129 which, in practice, is so formed that its walls will laterally contract or condense a toplift forced thereinto, as hereinafter described.

The cam which actuates the levers 120, 116 so as to shift the slide 113 inward, is a two point cam `unnecessary to illustrate or describe in detail, said cam being formed and provided to first move the slide 113 from the position which it occupies to re ceive a toplift from the hopper 111 (Fig. 11) to a position where its opening will be in alinement'with the opening of slide 127 integree (Fig. 12). The next step o1 the cam acts to move the slide 113 in so that its block or lug 126 will push the mold plate 127 in until the openings of the -slide and mold plate are between and in alinement with the plunger 54 (Figs. 2 and 6) and the pocket 67 which is then under plunger 54. There 1s suicient dwell of the action of the two portions of the feed cam to permit the complete transfer or the toplift from the feed slide to the mold plate before the latter is shifted to station B. The mechanism for doing this is located in a. portion of the machine which we refer to as station A.

Referring to Fig. (i in connection with Fig. 2 a chamber or pocket 130 sup-ported by a bracket portion of the frame hasfitted within it a piston-like support or table 131, its stem 132 extending through a bearing or uide opening in the bottom of the pocket. emovably and changeably iitted to the upperace of the sup-port or table 131, as by dowels is a facing plate 134 whereby provision may b e ma e for operation upon toplifts of var ing widths, by employing a facing plate o required size. Fig. 10 indicates a sectional view of the upper portion of the pocket 130 at a. right angle to the line or section in Fig. 6. llnasmuch as the mold plate is necessarily thin, it is desirable that it shall not be buckled downwardly when a toplift is forced into its opening by the 'plunger 143, hereinafter described. To edect this support of the mold plate 127 'we provide the upper end of the pocket 130 Wit-h a pair of arallel strips 135 (Fig. 10) having a thickness suiiicient to prevent downward bending or distortion of the mold plate. Similar strips 135 may be employed in connection. with the pockets 67 of the turret.

rlhe lower end of the stem 132 of the support or table 131 is connected with a lever 136 (Fig. 2) pivotally supported at 137, the outer end of which has a dog 138 pivotally connected to it, the tooth of said doo' engaging a frame-supported ratchet 139 the teeth of which are shaped to prevent upward movement of leve-r 136 under the influence of spring 133 so long as the toothed member 138 engages said ratchet. To disengage or unlock the toothed member 138 from the ratchet 139 at the proper time, a tripping lever 140, pivotally connected to the frame bracket, has one end adapted to contact with the inner face of the lower end of the pivoted dog 138, the other end of the lever extending outwardly under a roll or pin 142 of the lever 116. The shape of the tripping lever 140 is such that its outer end is depressed Iby the pin 142 when ,the lever 116 moves outwardly so that the inner end' of said tripping lever will act on the dog 138 to unlock its tooth from the ratchet.

When a toplift hasbeen shifted by the by dotted lines, the plunger 143 has two stems 144 mounted in guides at opposite sides of two brackets 145 which are suitably `supported by a lower frame bracket of the base frame 20. Supported by said brackets 145V is a rock shaft 146, the middle portion of which carries the upper member of a toggle 147, the lower member of which is connected to the plunger, as shown b comparing Figs. 1 and 2. Connected to tie ends of rock shaft 146 are two arms 148 which are connected by links 149 with a Ibar 150 carried by the outer end of a lever 151 pivotally mounted on shaft 122 and having its 'inner end provided with a roll acted upon by a path cam in a disk l152 (Fig. 4) carried by shaft 140. rilhe timing of operation of this cam is such as to cause the lunger 143 to'transfer a toplift from feed) plate 113 into a mold plate when the latter is in station A of Figs. 2 and 3, thereby partly com- As hereinbefore mentioned, the plungers I 54, 55, 5.6 are vertically adjustable relatively to the head 50 which always descends to a predetermined plane. This is to adapt the machine to properly compress, mold and iron blanks of different thicknesses or qualities of leather. And for the best results it is essential that they shall be independently adjustable. The structure illustrated provides for such independent adjustment. It is also desirable that the plunger 143 which operates at station A shall be adjustable so that upon its down stroke its lower surface will pass more or less below the lane of the bottom of the feed slide 113. ny suitable means for effecting this adjustment may be provided, such as right-'and-left turn-buckles in the links 149 whereby said links may be lengthened or shortened.

As the turret is rotated, and while it is being moved from station Cto station D (Fig. 3), the flesh or u per side of the toplift in opening 129 is sklved by means of a knife 153 shown by compa-ring Figs. 3 and 6. Said knife is carried by a holder 154 which is vertically adjustable (Figs. 1 and 14). To e-lect this vertical adjustment the holder 154 has a recess or socket fitting the reduced upper end or bearing 155 of a llO bracket 156 rising from the frame base 20.

A screw 157 having a handle 158 is rotatively mounted in the top ofthe recessed portion of holder 154 and enters the top of the bearing 155. By means of the handle 158 the screw is rotated to vertically adjust the plane of operation of the edge of knife 153 so as to skive more or less of the toplifts, or according to the thickness of the toplifts being'operated upon. The knife has a shearing action across the top of each toplift as the latter 'moves with the turre-t from station C to station D, the longitudinal shape, of said knife being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The lower face of each toplift is ironed when it reaches station D. Thatstation is indicated at the right of F ig. 6 where it will be seen that the clutch member 93 at thel lower end of the shaft 92 is' in clutching engagement with a clutch member 159 which at this point has been raised to intermesh with member 93. Said lower clutch member 159 is carried at the upper end of a vertical shaft 160 rotatably mounted in a bearing 161 extending in from the wall of the frame base 20. At the lower end of shaft 1,60 is a bevel gear 162, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and partially broken away in Fig-4. Said gear meshes with a bevel gear 163 carried by the driving shaft 46. The relative sizes of the intermediate gears between shafts 46 and 40 are' such as to very naterially reduce the speed of rotation of shaft 40 relatively to that of shaft 46. In other words shaft 46 revolves very rapidly as compared with shaft 40. Therefore, the vertical shaft 160 is constantly rotating rapidly, as presently described'. Said shaft 160 is automatically movable vertically so that when it is raised to the position shown in Fig. 6, it transmits its own high speed of rotation to that one of the four shafts 92 which is then in alinement with it. This imparts a somewhat planatory motion to the ironingblock 95 owing to the eccentricity of stud 94 and causes the upper face of said block 95 to iron or polish the under face of the toplift which is then being held down by the plunger 56.

, We will now describe the means whereby the shaft 160 is elevated at the proper time vto cause the clutch member 159 to engage clutch member 93. To this end. as shown in Fig. 6 the shaft 160 is' provided with a fixed collar 164 above which is a grooved collar-165 between which and the hub of the clutch member 159 is a compression spring 166. Blocks carried by the yoke 167 of a lever 168 fit the groove of the collar 165. The lever 168 is pivoted at 169 to a lu projecting from the bearing sleeve 22 an has a roll 170 adapted to be acted upon by a cam rise 171 formed or provided on theupper margin of the pinion 32. A suitable spring 172 is providedto insure lowering of thc outer end oflever 168 and thc shaft 160 after cam 171 has passed the roll 170.l The spring 166 is a cushion spring employed to yieldingly transmit the lift imparted to collar 165 by lever 168 to the clutch member 159.

During the operation of the machine each toplift is subjectedto pressure at stations B and C which, without unduly reducing its thickness, solidifies it. Also, its thickness is measured, and, owing to the lateral support providedby the wall of the opening in the mold plate and the vertical sup- \`port entirely across the under surface of the blank, the edges of the blank lare molded tol proper shape. This occurs, as will be hereinafter explained, before the toplift is skived and reaches ironing station D. We will now describe the means whereby the measured thickness of each toplift is automatically stamped upon the toplift at station E, and the toplifts then distributed into different receptacles so that all of those of the same thickness will be deposited in one receptacle. The mechanism for doing this is best shownin Figs. 7 and 15, said mechanism beingl located at that portion of the machine so as to act upon toplifts when they reach station E. A Wheel 173 having its periphery provided with proper dies is rotatably mounted in a bracket 174 depending from the plunger head 50 (Fig. 1) and the sha-ft of said stamping Wheel has a pinion 175 engaged by a toothed segment 176 carried by a rock shaft 177 mounted in said bracket. A link 178 is connected at one end to the segment 176 and at the other end is pivotally connected at 179 to an angle lever 180 which is pivotally mounted at 181 and has a roll 182. Pivotally mounted adjacent the upper end of the Central tube 29 of the turret are four strips 183, the outer end of each of said strips bearing upon the rounded upper end of a ratchet 108. These strips 183 wil1 .be referred t0 as guides because each of them acts, as the turret revolves, to guide the roll 182 on to theratchet 108, the tip end of the guide simply resting between 1 said ratchet and roll momentarily when the plunger head descends-andl the turret is stationary so that such downward movement of the turret head will act, through the roll 182 land the end of strip 183 to i slightly swing the pivoted ratchet 108 which is then at station E, away from the position shown in Fig. 6, and cause-the toothed portion of said ratchet to be temporarily in engagement with locking tooth 110 so that slide 97 can not be pushed down below the position at which it is then being held by tooth 101 and the teeth of detent 102. A

Connected to the rock shaft 177 so as to swing simultaneously with the toothed segit has been automatically adjusted so that the lowermost die carried by the wheel will impress the roper numeral or symbol in the toplift. ,he` toothed arm 185 referred to is tobe later disengaged from the ratchet 184 so that the weight of lever 180 and its roll will swing the parts back to the nor- -mal position shown inl Fig. 7. To eifect this separation of the toothedi .arm 185 -from the ratchet, said arm, which is p-ivoted, is provided with another arm 186 the downwardly extending tip of which is laterally inc-lined as shown by comparing Figs. l3 and 7 so that, after the turret begins to rotate further, one side of the guide 183 which has been concerned in the previous o eration'will engage the inclined surface o? arm 186 and raise said arm .and lower the toothed arm 185. This permits the return of the stamping wheel to normal position.

A bar 187 (Figs. 7 and 15) has a toothed end forming a rack 188, said end of the bar riding on a roll 189 mounted in the bracket 174. rlhe rack 188 is constantly in mesh with the pinion 175 and therefore when the stamping wheel is rotated rst in one direction and then the other, said bar 187 is reciprocated to an extent determined by thei amount of movement imparted to the stamping wheel and said bar by the mechanism hereinafter described, effects distribution of the toplifts into different receptacles according-'to the thickness of said articles. Before describing the mechanism operated by the reciprocations of the bar 187, we will describe how the mold plate is slid outwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 7 when position E is reached so that the toplift can be removed from the opening in the mold plate, said mold plate then remaining in that outward position ,until the turret is again actuated to carry said mold plate around to position B (Fig. 3) later to receive another toplift from the feed slide 113. To provide for outward movement of the mold plate, said plate has a pair of hooks or lugs 190 at its outer 'end which are engaged by a pair of hooks 191 yieldingly connected with the upper end of a forked lever 192 (see also Fig. 3). Said lever is pivoted at 193 to a bracket 194 of the frame base and has a shor-t arm 195 connected by a link 196 r (Fig. 2) with the upper arm of an elbow lever 197, the lower arm of which has a roll enga ing a cam formed in the side of a disk 198 Xed to shaft 40.. Said cam, like the other cams carried by shaft 40, is a quadruple acting cam because of the turret having four steps of rotation, as hereinbefore explained. As the turret revolves each mold plate moves so that its lugs 190 pass sideways onto the lever hooks 191 to position to be engaged by said hooks 191 when-the cam actuates the lever to slide the mold plate outward.

When the mold plate has been moved out, as described, the next operation is to remove the measured, skived, ironed and stamped toplift from the mold plate. The toplift is ejected from the opening in the mold plate by a plate 199 (Fig. 7) carried at the end of an angular arm having a toothed segment portion 200 and pivotally supported at 201 near the upper end of bracket 194 (Fig. 7). rllhe segment 200 is in mesh with a segmental. gear 202 pivotally supported at 203 and having a short arm to which is pivotally connected at 204 a link 205. The lower end of said link (Fig. l2) has a universal joint connection with a lever 206 which has a roll engaged by a path cam in the side of disk 198 opposite from that side which appears in Fig. 2.

Supported by the upper end of a curved arm 207 of bracket 194 is an inclined stop plate 208 (Fig. 7) so located that a lift which is ejected by plate 199 will not be thrown, by such movement, beyond a predetermined point. Practically the plate 208 acts also as a guide to insure that the eje'ted and lifted toplift will slide oif from the ejector plate in a predetermined direction. Extending down from opposite edges of the plate 208 are two fingers 209 which are preferably laterally adjustable so as to effect a slight friction between them and the edges of the toplift 'as said toplift is moved upwardly from the full to the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 7, the object of said fingers 209 being to prevent the toplift from prematurely slipping off edgewise from the ejector plate. The upper portions of the fingers 209 are far enough apart so as to retain no frictional hold ofthe toplift when it reaches position in contact with or adjacent to the plate 208. this shape of the plates being indicated in the plan view (Fig. 3). lf the toplift does not leave the ejector plate when the latter is fully raised, because of any temporary clamping effect between the two plates 199, 208. it will do so as soon as the ejector plate 199 moves away and downwardly from plate 208. The toplift then slides down over a chute plate 210 movably supported as presently described, said toplift sliding through a slot 211 formed for this purpose in the mold plate (Figs. 3 and 7).

The chute plate 210 guides the toplift into one of a series 0f receptacles 212 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In order that the toplft will be directed into the receptacle or pocket for the liftsv of a certain thickness, the plate. 210 is pivotally supported at 201 and is swung to the proper degree of angularity by means of a curved arm 213 connected to said plate 210 and pivotallg connected at 214 with the outer end of t e bar 187. Since the bar 187 is moved endwise by the pinion 175 to algreater or lesser extent according to the size thickness ofv each toplift, the chute platev210 will have its degree of inclination varied properly so as to effect deposit vof all toplifts of a given size thickness in a predetermined receptacle. In other words, the toplifts will be stacked in different receptacles according to their thicknesses.

A spring 215 connected at one end to the arm 213 is provided to exert a slight tendency to hold said arm 213 normally in position determined by any suitable adjustable stop.

mounted or not. As shown in each of saidl figures the stem 216 of the plunger 56 is mounted in a vertically adjustable bushing 217 fitting a screw-threaded aperture in the head 50, said stem having a head 218. 'In Fig. 8 the spring 219 is illustrated, said spring being coiled around the stem 216 between an internal shoulder of the bushing and the top of the plunger 56. Normally the head 218 determines the lowermost position of the stem and plunger relatively to the adjustable bushing 217, the spring 219 permitting the plunger to yield so that there will be no very great difference in the pressure exerted upon the toplift when the plunger head 50 descends. if the toplift should be somewhat thicker than usual or thicker than the plate 127. This amount of yielding pressure may be determined by adjusting the bushing 217, the described adjustment being rendered permanent by a lock nut 220.

In Fig. 9 the structure is substantially the same but in place of the spring 219 a rigid or unyielding bushing 221 is inserted thereby insuring downward movement of the 4 plunger 56 to the same extent as the movement of the plunger head 59, regardless of thickness of the toplift. By simply substituting the rigid bushing 221 for the spring 219, or vice versa, the machine is adapted to effect either a rigid or a yielding pressure on the toplift. lVhile the interchangeable device illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 isprefor the plungers 54, 55 at stations B and C.

miscellaneous thicknesses,

(pansive action of spring 71.

As the lower portions of some lifts a will when the mold plates carrying them move out at station E. l

In operation, assuming that the hopper 111 contains a supply of toplift blanks of the lowerniost blank is first transferred by the feed slide 113 to station A under the plunger 143 which then acts to push the blank out of theopeniiig 114 and into the opening 129 of mold plate 127 imparting a preliminary pressure to, and partially compressing. the blank While doing so, the two plates then occupying the relative positions shown in Fig. 12. This locates the blank in the opening 129 and upon the second or complete inward movement of the slide 113 both plates move into the position shown in Fig.

13, this being station B. While the blank is at station A the downward movement-of the plunger 143 transmits motion (through the blank) to the support or tableV 131 (see left-'hand portion of Fig. 6) and this downward movement, which imparts the preliminary pressure described to the blank, is transmitted through the stem 132 to the lever 136,.the spring 133 being compressed to some extent. The dog 138 of lever 136 becomes interlocked with the ratchet 139 at the point to which the lever 136 been depressed, and therefore the support., 131 remains at its lower position until said'dog 138 is later released or unlocked due to the action of the outwardly moving lever 116 upon the tripping lever 140.

The feed slide 113, during its two-step inward movement, first receives a blank a from the hopper and carries it to station A for transfer to the mold plate and then acts to push the mold plate in to station Bunder plunger 54. The plunger head then descends by the operation of the mechanism h ereinbefore described, and the lift a is forced more deeply into the opening in the mold vplate 127 and is compressed between plunger 54 and the block 95 against the eX- The amount of downward movement of the block 95 is transmitted to lever 74 and the pawl 78 is automatically `interlocked with the ratchet 80.

The turret then makes another step of rotation so that the lift a just mentioned is transferred to station C (see left-hand portion of Fig. 7) and then when the plunger head again acts plunger 55 imparts a second compression to the lift a the pawl 7 8y moving further down the ratchet 80. At the same time the pin 100 of the lever 74 acts through tooth `101 is automatically interlocked with Athe link 99 to pull down the slide 97 and the 1'30 l the ratchet 102 therefore the block 95 and the slide 97 are locked in the position to which they have been depressed, the amount of depression depending upon the thickness of lift a.

The result or effect of lowering the slide 97 as described., and locking it, 1s to indicate the thickness of the lift under pressure. The extent of depression of theslide controls the extent of operation of the, lever 180 which, in turn, actuates the marker 173 to proper position when that slide 97 reaches station E and the plunger head descends.

Afterthe plunger head 50 rises and the turret then makes another step of rotation carrying the particular toplift described around to station D, the upper flesh side of the lift a is skived by the 'knife 153. This skiving does not result in reducing all of the lifts a acted upon by the machine to the same thickness because the upper surfaces of all lifts are forced downward to a predetermined plane according to the point or plane to which the plungers descend. The lower surfaces of the lifts may. occupy different planes when the lifts reach the knife, according to the different thicknesses of said lifts. Therefore, the skiving does not affect the actual accurate measuring of the lifts which measuring has been preliminarily effected at station C, and which measuring is later recorded according to the height of slide 97 which remains constant until the ratchets and pawls are unlocked as hereinafter described.

As the turret moves toward ironing station D (see right hand portion of Fig. 6), the forked lever 168 is acted upon by the cam 171 which causes said lever to lift the clutch member 159 into engagement with clutch member 93 so that the continuously rotating shaft 160 imparts rotary motion to the shaft 92 and the eccentric stud 94.- of the latter imparts a revolving or somewhat planetary movement to the block 95 whereby the upper surface of the later irons the under surface of the lift a. This ironing effect of course is produced while the plunger head is down and the plunger 56 is holding the measured and skived lift. During the next step of rotation of the turret to carry thelift from station D to station E, the roll 182 of lever 180 (see right hand portion of Fig. 7) rides upthe inclined strip 183 thereby imparting as much motion to the lever 180 as will result from the degree of elevation i of slide 97 which has been locked at a hei ht co-ordinate with the thickness of the llft. Through the mechanism and connections hereinbefore described, the marking or stamping wheel 173 is rotated to bring a symbol indicating the thickness of that lift down to such position that when the plunger head 50 next descends, the upper surface of the lift "will be lmarked by that particular symbol. The point of rotation of the wheel 173 which has been so determined remains xed while the fplunger head again rises, due 'to the action o the ratchet 184 and toothed arm 185. After this the mechanism which `actuates the lever 192 causes the mold plate to move out to the dotted line position of Fig. 7, and after that the mechanism which lifts the ejector 199 acts to transfer the lift to an elevated inclined position where it will slide 0H' and pass down the chute 210 into the particular receptacle which is to receive all of the lifts of that particular thickness. During the next step of-rotation of the turret during which the pocket or chamber which has carried the toplift which has just been operated upon moves from station to station B, the lever 192 swings back but the mold plate remains in its outer position so as to be in position to have its lift receiving opening occupy station A (Fig. 3) ready. to receive the next vlift.-

The purpose of the stationary caIn ring 77 and the roll 7 6 carried by each of the levers 74 is to positively prevent any liability of spring 71 causing a table 70 to be elevated to a plane too high for operation. That is, since the rin 77 prevents any lever 74 from being raised y a spring 71 above a predetermined hmlt, the uppermost position which can be occupied by any blank supporting table is determined.

.Preferably, although not necessarily, the ring 77 has one portion of its lower surface a trifle lower than the rest of said surface, this portion being indicated in Fig. 6 so that when any blank supporting table reaches station B, the roll 76 of the lever which is connected to that particular table will ride on to a slightly lower portion of the ring 77 so as to render it certain that the table, and its ironing block 95, will be temporarily drawn down far enough so that there will he no liability of the edge of a toplift a which is pushed to position over the block 95 coming in contact with the edge of said block. That is, the upper surface of the block 95 is certain to be low enough so that no obstructionl will be o'ered to the passage of a top lift on to the upper surface of that block.

The purposes of the ratchet 108 at the top of slide 97 is to prevent depression of the slide below the height to which it has been automatically set, by the pressure` of the lever 180. When the plunger head descends roll 182 first acts through the tip of guide strip 183 (Fig. 7) to cause the ratchet 108 to swing enough to engage the fixed tooth 110 (Fig. 6) which then locks the slide against depression and so enables the top of the slide to act as an abutment to cause lever 180 to swing, when the head 50 moves down, and eect adjustment of the marking wheel as hereinbefore described.

The release of the several pawl and ratchet mechanisms, to effect the automatic return of the necessary parts of each group to normal positions to be ready to receive and act upon another toplift, is obtained as follows:

The timing of the operation is such that one of the triggers 89 (Fig. 7) acts on tripping lever 81 to unlock pawl 7 8 from ratchet 80 just after station C is reached but before the plunger head has completed its descent to effect the second compression at said station C. This does not effect or permit release of ratchet lever 102 from locking tooth 101 and therefore the slide 97 does not rise. When station D is reached another trigger 89 acts on tripping lever 84 to again unlock pawl 78 from ratchet 8() so that the full upward pressure of spring 71 may cause `a yielding ironing action of block 95 on the grain surface of the lift. At this time ratchet lever 102 is still locked by tooth 101, but the pin 100 of lever 74 has moved up in the slot of link 99.

After the operation at station E which has been hereinbefore described, the lower end of ratchet lever 102 rides on to the end :1: of cam 106 (Fig. 5) so that said lever.A

swings out and its toothed portion separates from tooth 101 and the spring 107 lifts slide 97 to normal position where it remains until the next operation carries that particular toplift carrier from station B to station C. Durin the operation of the machine illustrate in the drawings, each toplift is sub- 'ected to three pressures successively applied. lfhe first of these is at station A when the plunger 143 acts to transfer the lift from the slide 113 t0 a mold plate 127. The base of the plunger 143, in plan, is shaped like -a toplift and is slightly smaller than the opening 114 in slide 113. As best shown in Figure 16, which represents a longitudinal section through said slide and plate, the walls of the opening 114 in the slide 113 are bev-v eled, said opening being smaller at the bottom than at the top. It is to be understood that in plan the opening has the shape of a'toplift, the transverse edge at the left in said figure being straight. The opening 129 in plate 127 is similarly shaped in plan, but is smaller than opening 114 and its left hand edge which is to shape the breast edge of the lift is vertical while the other portions of the edge of said opening 129 are beveled to give the customary shape to the lift molded therein. As the plunger 143 (station A) descends to a limit approximating that indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 16, a lift which is in the opening 114 -is pushed through the smaller lower part of said opening and is partially compressed laterally, and as it passes then into opening 129 it is still further compressed laterally. If the lift is thicker than the slide 127, which is usually the case, said lift is subjected to pressure be:

tween plunger 143 and the plate 134 on the support 131 (Fig. 6). This provides a preliminary pressure and molding operation before the operation at stations B and C, where the mechanisms are preferably such as to effect greater pressure than at station A. As has been explained, each plunger 54, 44, 5G isadjustable relatively to the head 50. Therefore, since the head always descends to a given plane, the distances to which the toplift will be further pressed into its mold plate are controlled by the setting of the plungers in the head.

The plungers, of course, are never so set as to push a toplift so far down that its upper surface will be below or flush with the upper surface of the mold plate. This 1s because the portion of the flesh side of each toplift which remains above the plane of the mold plate is the portion which is skived off by the knife 153 while the toplift is passlng from station C to station D.

The cumulative effect of the plurality of. pressures successively applied at stations A, B and C is such as to avoid the disintegration of the fibers of the leather that would result if the total of those pressures were to be applied at one time. This Aapplies especially to the treatments at stations B and C where the pressure effected is greater than at station A. -"In another aspect the work is so divided that lateral compression of the leather due to the beveled sides of the mold openings 129 does not result in buckling or wrinkling the leather.

It is to be understood that such terms as compressing and compression, used herein, mean thatwhen toplift blanks are operated upon they are subjected to such pressure as will be sufficient to effect the measuring operation described, and incidentally increase the density of the leather, the pressure not being such as to effect any appreciable or substantial change in the characteristics or qualities of the leather.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an intermittently movable carrier for a series of blanks, means for actuating said carrier to locate the blanks successively at different stations, and means for simultaneously compressing the blanks over their entire areas and measuring the thickness thereof.

2. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an intermittently movable carrier for a series of blanks. means for actuating said carrier to locate the blanks successively at different stations, and means for simultaneously measuring and ironing a plurality of blanks occupying different stations.

.3. A machine of the character described,

lll)

maaien having, in combination, an intermittently' pass from one station to another.

5. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a turret having a plurality of mechanisms for carrying a se ries of blanks, means for actuating said tui'- ret to locate the blanks successivel at different stations, and means for simu taneously measuring, ironing, and stamping a plurality of blanks occupying different stations.

6. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, alate having an opening for a blank, means or intermittently transporting said plate successively to dillerent stations, and means for imparting a succession of cumulative pressures to the blank at said stations.

7. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an intermittently rotatable turret having a series of mold plates, means for intermittently actuating the turret to cause each plate to successively occupy different stations, and means for imparting a succession of cumulative pressures to the blank at said stations.

8. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an endless series of duplicate blank-supporting tables, means for holding a blank in position above each table, means for actuating said series of tables to cause each to successively occupy different stations, and means for compressing each blank and measuring its thickness by` successive operations at different stations.

9. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an endless series of duplicate blank supporting tables, means for holding a blank in position above each table, means for actuating said series of tables to cause each to successively occupy different stations, and means for imparting a succession of cumulative pressures to the blanks at different stations.

10. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an endlessv series of duplicate blank-supporting tables, means for holding a blank in position above each table, means for actuating said series of tables to cause each` to successively occupy diierent stations, and means for compressin measuring and stamping the blanks at di erent stations.

11. A -machine of the character described, having, in combination, an endless series of duplicate blank-supporting tables, means for holding a blank in position above each table, means for actuating said series of tables to cause each to successively occupy different stations, and means for compressing, measuring, and ironing the blanks at different stations.

12. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, an endless series of duplicate blank-supporting tables, means for holding a blank in position above each table, means for actuating said series of tables to cause, each to successively occupy different stations, and means for compressing, measuring, and ironing the blanks and applying designations of thickness to said blanks' at different stations.

13. A machinev of the character described, having, in combination, a turret having a series of duplicate blank supporting tables, mold plates for holding blanks in position above said tables, means for actuating the turret to cause each of the tables to successively occupy different stations, and means for compressing the blanks and measuring their thickness by successive operations at different stations.

14. A machineof the character described, having, in combination, a mold plate, means for supplying a blank thereto, means for transferring said plate and blank successively to a plurality of stations, and means for operating on the blank While held by the mold plate, at the different stations, to compress it and measureits thickness.

15. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a mold plate, means for supplying a blank thereto, means for transferring said plate and blank successively to a plurality of stations, and means for operating on the blank While held by the mold plate to compress it, measure its thickness andeven its flesh surface.

1Q. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a mold plate, means for supplying a blank thereto, means for transferring said plate and blank successively to a plurality of stations, and means for operating on the blank while held by the mold plate to compress it, measure its thickness, skive one side of it, and iron its other side.

17. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a mold plate, means for supplying a blank thereto, means for transferring said plate and blank successively to a plurality of stations, and means for operating on the blank While held by the mold plate to compress it, measure its thickness, skive one side of it, iron its other side,

and apply to it a designation of its thickness.

18. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a mold plate, means tor supplying a blank thereto, means for transferring said pla-te and blank successively to a plurality of stations, and means l'oi' operating on the blank while held by the mold plate, at the dilierent stations, to compress it. measure its thickness, iron it, and apply to it a designation of its thickness, means being also provided to deliver the blanks from the machine and distribute them according to the thicknesses thereof.

1S). A machine of the character described, having` in combimltion, two relatively movabley members lor subjecting a blank to pressure between them over its entire area, one of said members being yieldingly mounted and the other being positively moved toward and from it. and means connected with said yielding member for indicating the thickness ot' the pressed blank.

20. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a yielding member, an opposing member movable toward said yielding member to coact therewith to subject a blank to pressure between said members over its entire area, and means actuated by movement of the yielding member for indicatingY the thickness of the blank.

21. A machine of 'the character described having, in combination, a yielding table, a movable presser for acting on a blank mounted on said table, and means actuated by movement of the table for indicating the thickness of the blank acted upon by the presser and applying a thickness designation to the blank.

22. A machine of the character described having, in combination. a series of duplicate intermittently movable yielding tables, a presser .for successively acting on blanks mounted on said tables, and means actuated by the lnovement of each table for indicating the thickness of the blank acted upon by the operating presser.

23. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a resiliently-mounted table, means for locating a blank above the table, a plunger for compressing said blank between it and the table, and means controlled by movement of the table effected by the plunger pressure transmitted through the blank for indicating the thickness of that blank.

24. A blank treating machine comprising, in combination, an intermittently rotatable turret having a plurality of duplicate resiliently-mounted tables and provided with means for locating a blank above each table, plungers `for compressing blanks between them and the tables, and means controlled by movement of the 'tables for indicating the thickness of the compressed blanks.

25. A blank treating machine comprising, in combination, a turret having -four equidistant duplicate resilient blank supports, means for intermittently actuating the turret to locate the supportssuccessively at each of four stations, a head having three plungers opposite three of the supports, means controlled by movements of 'the blank supports at two of said stations to measure the thicknesses of the blanks, means for effecting an ironing operation on each blank at the third station, and means at the fourth station for applying to each blank an indication of its thickness.

26. A blank treating machine comprising, in combination, a turret having four equidistant duplicate resilient blank supports, means for intermittentlyA actuating the turret to locate the supports successively at each of four stations, a head having three plungers opposite three of the supports, means controlled by movements of the blank supports at two of said stations to measure the thickness of the blanks, means for effecting an ironing operation on each blank at the third station, means for skiving each blank as it approaches the third station, and means at the fourth station for applying to each blank an indication of its thickness.

27. In a blank treating machine, a turret having a plurality of duplicate mechanisms, each comprising a spring-supported 'table having a superimposed block, a mold plate above said block, a lever connected with the table, a measuring slide connected with the lever, and a clutch member connected with said block, means for actuating the turret to locate each of said mechanisms at a succession of stations, a head having a plurality of plungers to operate at some of said stations, and means for engaging said clutch member at 'one of the stations to actuate 'the block to iron a blank in the mold plate associated with that block.

28. In a blank treating machine, a table having a spring for supporting it, means for adjusting said spring, a plunger for compressing a blank between it and said table, and means for imparting to said plunger a predetermined range of movement toward and from the table.

29. In a blank treating machine, a table having a spring for supporting it, means for adjusting said spring, a plunger for compressing a blank between it and said table, means for imparting to said plunger a predeterminedrange of movement toward and from the table, and means for adjusting the plunger to vary its limit of movement toward the table.

30. In a blank treating machine, a springsupported table having an ironing member titi:

maaien ing member to actuate it, a power-driven clutch driver normally disconnected .trom said clutch member, means for holding a blank firmly against the ironing member, and means for automatically inter-engaging the clutch driver with said clutch member for a predetermined length of time.

31. ln a blank treating machine, a turret having a spring-supported table provided with an ironing member and a tubular stem, a shaft mounted in said stem and connected to the ironing member to actua-te 1t, means for intermittently rotating the turret to 1ocate said table successively at diferent stations, means for holding a blank on the table, and means for rotating the shaft of the ironin member when the table reaches one of sai stations.

32. in a blank treating machine, a turret having a plurality of duplicate mechanisms, each including a spring-supported table provided With an ironing member and a tubular stem and a shaft mounted 1n the stem and connected to the ironing member, means for intermittently rotating the turret to locate each of said mechanisms successively at different stations, means for supplying a blank to each of the tables When at one of said stations, and means for rotating each shaft of an ironing member when at another of the stations. l 33. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, an intermittently rotatable turret provided with a seriesot blank supports, and means for performing a plurality of different operations upon blanks While held at different s/tations by the turret, said means including"a}head having a series of independently ad]ustable plungers movable toward and from the turret.

34. ln a blank treating machine, a springsupported table, a plunger movable toward and Jfrom the table, a movable measuring member connected with said table, and means for temporarily locking said member in the position to which it is shifted by movement of said table.

35. ln a blank treating machine, a springsupported table, a plunger movable toward and from the table, a movable measuring member, a lever connecting said table and measuring member, and ratchet mechanism for holding the lever in the position to which it vis shifted by movement of said tableL 36. A machine of the class describedfhaying, in combination, a spring-supported table, means for shifting said table from one station to another, a plunger for compressing a blank on the table when the latter is at one station, detent mechanism for temporarily retaining the table in the position to which it is moved by the action of the plunger, and means for releasing said detent mechanism after the table passes trom the station at which is effected.

37. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a spring-supported table, means for shitting said table from one station to another, a head having a plunger for compressing a blank on the table when the latter is at one station, de-l tent mechanism tor temporarily retaining the table in the position to which it is moved by the action of the plunger, and means connected with said head for releasing the detent mechanism after the table passes from the station at which the compression is eiiected. l

38. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a spring-supported table, means for shitting said table from one station to another, a head having a plunger for compressing a blank on the table When the latter is at one station, a lever connected with said table, ratchet mechanism connected with said lever for temporarily retaining'the table in the position to W ich it is moved by the action of the plunger, and means for releasing said detent mechanism after the table passes from the station at which the compression iseiected.

39. A machine of the character described the compression having, in combination, a turret provided with a plurality ot' spring-supported tables and having a central tubular1 hub provided with openings, a vvertically movable rod extending through said tubular hub and having a head provided with plungers for acting on blanks on said tables, detent mechanism for temporarily retaining each table in the position to which it is moved by the action ot a plunger, triggers connected With the vertically movable rod and adapted to be projected through the openings in the hub, and means actuated by said triggers for releasing the detent mechanism of each table after such table passes from the station at which the compression is effected.

40. ln a blank treating machine, a turret having a pocket, means for intermittently rotating the turret to transfer said pocket from one station to another, a spring-supported table in said pocket, a shaft extending through said table and having an eccentric stud at its upper end, a disk mounted on the table and having a recess engaged by said eccentric stud, means for holding a blank forcibly on said disk at one station to compress the blank, means forforcibly holding the blank on the disk at another station, and means for rotating said shaft when movement of the turret carries it to the last mentioned station.

41. A machine of the character described having, in combination, an intermittently movable turret provided with a series of pockets, means for intermittently actuating said turret to transfer each of said pockets shaft in each pocket having an eccentric stud, a disk mounted on said stud, means for compressing a blank on eachdisk at one of said stations, and means located at another of said stations for rotating the shaft to cause the disk to iron a blank thereon.

l 42. A machine ofthe character described having, in combination, co-operating fiat blank compressing members engaging the entire area of the blank, a marker for applying to each compressed blank a designa-I tion of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking osition, and means connected with one ot the compressing members for controlling the operations of said actuator.

43. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a blank compressing plunger and a blank marker, a yieldingl mounted table for a blank, means Jfor holding the t-able first at one station for action by the lunger and then at another station for aetlon by the marker, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate markin position, and means connected with said ta le for controlling the operation of said actuator.

44. A machine of the character described havin in combination, a blank compressing p unger and a blank marker, an intermittently rotatable turret having a plurality of yieldinglv mo-unted tables, means for actuating an holding the turretr to present a blank on each table first at one station for the plunger and then at another station for action by the marker, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, and means connected with each of said tables for controlling the operation of said actuator.

45. A machine of the character described having, in combination, co-operating blankcompressing members, a marker for applying to each condensed blank a designation of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, a longitudinally movable slide for controlling the operation of the actuator, and means connected with one of the compressing members for determining the longitudinal position of said slide.

46. A machine of the character described having, in combination, co-operating flat blank-compressing members engaging the entire area of the blank, a marker for applying to each compressed blank a designation of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, a longitudinally movable slide for controlling the operation of said actuator, means connected with. one of the compressing members for shifting said slide in one direction, and ratchet detent mechanism for lpriate marking position, a lever connected with the table, and a slide operatively connected With said lever, said slide being a constructed and arranged to control the operation of said actuator.

\"-48. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, a yieldingly supported table, a compressing member to coact with said table to compress a blank thereon, a marker for applying to each compressed blank a designation of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, a lever connected With the table, a ratchet detent for holding the lever in the position to which it is shifted by movement of the table, and a longitudinally movable slide connected with said lever to be actuated thereby, said slide being eonstructed and arranged to control the operation of the actuator for the marker.

49. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, co-operating blankcompressing members, a marker for applying to each compressed blank a desidnation of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, a longitudinally movable slide for controlling the operation of said actuator, a lever connected With one of said blank-compressing members andhaving a slot and pin connection With the slide, ratchet mechanism for holding the lever in the position to which it is moved by said compressing member` and independent ratchet mechanism for temporarily locking the slide.

50. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, co-operating blankcompressing members, a marker for applying to each compressed blank a designation of its thickness, an actuator for setting the marker in appropriate marking position, a longitudinally movable slide for controlling the operation of said actuator, a lever connected with one of said blank-compressing members and having a slot and pin connection with the slide, ratchet mechanism tor holding the lever in the position to which it is moved by said compressing member, a tooth carried by said slide, a pivoted ratchet for engaging said tooth, and means for automatically controlling the position ot the pivoted ratchet.

51. A machine of the character described having, in combination, co-operating blankcompressing members, a marker for apply- 

